New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-03
T4LEING Politics AT DINNER.
MUNICIPAL REFORM" THE THEME.

ADVOCATING THE AUSTRALIAN SYSTEM OF VOTING
-HoNrsrY BELOW PAR
There have been hanquets DelmOncOs nearly every
night tbs week. hut night there banquet there
which differed from all Of them much rs day does
from night. Cold water took the place of champagne
proundty recncd instead Of fesnvity, sobrety super
seeded merrncnt there was no joking and no smoking
Some nifty members OF the Baptist social Union OF Man
haitian Island with dozen guests met there " rat q
dinner and then in the interest of e the star eyed
goddess" co earnest battle with the question Of
Municipal Reporm" In the ahserce Of the usual con
comitants the dinner speedily and dcccrously dis
PATCHED Or j. H. Cunning presided over the feast and
The spcechlnahDg.
Among those present were William W. Isaacs, John =.
Townsend, o. u. baldwin A. C. Cheney. Colonel James
T. Griffin OF London; the Rev. IT. Middleditch, W. b.
Sears president OF the Boston Social Union; A. T.
Compton. John q. Preble, A. j. Robinson, Charles :
CroSsman. H. F. Andrews. Edward Colgate and Henry
C. Vaudeville Ernest II. Crosby and Robert Ray
Hamilton we're the special guests of the evening Al an
unusually early hour for Delmonco', Dr. Cunning set
the or,.or.cal ball arong Ernest H. Crosby was the
frst speaker lie said in part:
ERNEST H. CROsBYs SPEECH
take little stock in any particular scheme as a
psu,cea Tor all the ills Of municipal government hh
think that 1t would good plan 10 select one ouc'r
Who sh.ild have the general power OF appointment ana
removal and who would lie personally responsible when
things went wrong. Excellent man a. IS Mayor ne"t'
his functions eecm mainly confined TO wrthg letters
The povcrs Of the Board Of Aldermen have lately been
uuei restricted with beneficial results believe thst
create check, Oh the Board of Estimate ana hpTl"h
memt 7So'!ld similarly beneficial S'll the FORM "I
mnnc pal government would be COOL ehohs! II PiD.r
officials would only their duty The great lhhpiity
Men fail usually from want oI '"pdcIY Oh us
honesty. But complaint could Dr. MAJ. asa, iTy
officials nj politicians generally They sunrr eeLoi'n3
from a snl,crailndan OF capacity Ibe trht l. anu
wouli De idle to conceal IT, that among our ,
there Il tremendous aDonht o. "h'' W",'t NJ +,
dishonesty Among men OF hgh moral slihuuu, 1t
exists and only can exist because pnblic opinion
tolefates Il, Oar Representative viii hc no bcttci man
pubic opinion demands. reform whc' does not 20
rght down I" the bottom OF me cy, an" %
suffrage would do lttc good Political corruption Cp
sists mainly brbe giving and bribct kim inpnc
opbion l. tolerant Of the former than INC iier
for the reason that II Is often alleged at OhE ~
Ing can people get Their just dues from pnnic va,
VIII tolerate no excuse loT brioe-sNns, a annn
Necessarily. bribc-taking Will cease Inc icheme,n,
house people the rank and ME of the electorate need !"
be sufficiently imbned with IDEAS OF enlightened SCI
interest IL perceive that does not pay 10 eect as
honest representatives. because on then f!ls me cnio
buiden oi the increased taxation tu TcruI!s roh '
sPeeulaons AMI dishonesty OF their rem csentatiyes
society for nc promotion OF political honesty would ma
great work 70 perform.
rorYnT RAY HAMILTON FOLLOWS.
Robert Ray Hamilton spoke next and aroused some
feelings OF local patriotism by declaring that in his
opinion municipal affairs On here than IN
Paris or London. Still there WAS abundant room for
reform. Containing lie said:
The trouble with municipal reforms ia that they
are slasl"d 9 mere makeshifts founded cxptdicpcy
departments. would like to sec passc an anenene nj
poMnit'nS ine expenditure OF any money without The
thing rotten In the state OF Denmark when men nay
50 $50. $1,000, 100000 and $4,000 to get elect ed 10
onces wncrc The legitimate cmolumrntS fall far VT
ana are sometimes merely ractiOh-Ot what they pay
10 get Them They must rccoup the nselyc,
somewhere First OF all reforms sl0ni Ice The purdc
ton OF :he ballot whereby free ballot and fair count
could always he secured. This could best be done 1
Think by the Introduction OF the rodied Australian
system advocated by Allen Thorndkc Rice
Many others wrestled with the question in fvc-mnute
speeches Before the dinner there Il short business
meeting at which the following officers elected
PRESIDENT Charles j. TOWNSEND: vice pres dents A. j..
h"bhson Charles A. Myers; secretary, J. Arthur
Barfatt Treasurer, W. ID. Murphy: drectors-J. H..
Guinng. W. II. Palmer. A. f. Compton Wallace
iDunbar, Theodore NJ Banta. j. T.. Adams, IT,, william
~ isaacs, Thomas H. Harris.
NIX LINCH. or ST. JOHN, 81 ID 10 WA UT TIE Cur.
Anoiher rumsr about impending challenge for
.he America cup IS being circulated This time II
announced THAI the Canadians arc going TO try for
with ninety foot ccntreboard sloop. David Lynch,
smpbnildcr OF Il. John, New brunswick, came 10
VI The opportunity 20 Inspect tho models OF yachs In
Tue model room OF tie New York Yacht Club. Sub
soqhehfly, 1t II said, aDDnnced his Intention oil
uoidng sloop and issIing challenge through some
o. John club for the OPP. If true, everybody VIII
70 CAD OF the prospect a contest for the cup, ana
american yachtsmen will wait the result with great
os u confidence Canada has twice tried tor the cup
s"a each time has failed 1lsmaly. .,.
mr. lynch has given one evidence OF the posseosio
Z level head He prefas q ceDtrcboard yacht 10
seei boat for windwsm work lie may have
~"as>a much By the models no has soon. but moro